By Richard Thomas Laphroaig, the famed Islay distillery, has revived its 15 year old expression. This version of Laphroaig’s single malt had been the favorite of King Charles III (before his coronation) and the only whisky at that time to receive a Royal Warrant. This classic was discontinued in 2009, with a 200th annivesary re-release …
New brand The Maven has made its first release, its flagship entitled The Maven Straight Kentucky Bourbon. Through self-distillation, custom-specified sourcing, and selective barrel acquisition, Master Distiller Kevin Curtis, Master Blender Steve Hughes, Associate Master Blender Ashley Moore and their team assembled the most diverse privately owned bourbon library in America, an inventory now serving …
Peas have shown up in vodka and gin before. Branch & Barrel Distilling is transposing them to the world of whiskey. The Centennial, Colo. distillery has released Peas Please, a limited-edition specialty spirit distilled with Colorado field peas alongside corn and barley — a mash bill the distillery believes may be a first for the …
The zero proof section of a drinks menu used to be an apology. Two sweet things and a soda gun. That has changed, and the category data behind this shift shows something more interesting than growth. The no and low category has stopped inventing its own drinks. It is rebuilding the classic list, serve by …
By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Five months ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to Buffalo Trace Distillery for the grand opening of the John G. Carlisle Cafe, the eatery opened inside the old Elmer T. Lee employee clubhouse. I personally found the Art Deco-influenced decor of the cafe complimented the Arts and Crafts …
By Richard Thomas Rating: B The George Remus brand was launched by MGP Ingredients, owner of the former Seagram’s plant in southern Indiana that continues to be the source of most of America’s aged stock whiskey for sourced brands, to offer the company their own in-house counterpart to what so many of their customers do. …
By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ The Chicken Cock whiskey brand dates back to the 1850s, and its first run lasted about a century, as the brand fell into obscurity and then discontinuance in the 1950s. Like so many fallen, but not quite forgotten brands, it was revived during the Bourbon Boom, coming back in 2011 …
By Richard Thomas Scotland’s Aberfeldy Distillery has released the latest creation of Master Blender Stephanie Macleod, The Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Sangiovese Red Wine Cask Finish Single Malt. An extension of the distillery’s Red Wine Cask series, the new expression takes The Aberfeldy’s highland single malt to a quite mature state before giving it a …
The Borders Distillery in Hawick, not 15 miles from the English border, has unveiled The Borders Single Malt Scotch Whisky, First Release, marking a major milestone. This single malt is an eight year old first-fill bourbon cask-matured single malt, finished in the Malmsey Madeira casks. The limited bottling marks the distillery’s inaugural single malt Scotch …
Sipping a well-aged whiskey is an exercise in patience and perception. The color, aroma and finish each reveal something different, while the character of the spirit depends on details that are easy to overlook – the maturation process, the cask, the grain and the craftsmanship behind the bottle. A good tasting therefore requires more than …
